HEALTH chiefs today urged people not to panic following a suspected case of the SARS virus being treated at North Manchester General Hospital.

Further tests were being carried out on a woman who fell ill with SARS - suspected severe acute respiratory syndrome - after returning from Singapore.

Dr Roger Glew, medical director for the Pennine Acute Trust, which governs the hospital, said she was in a stable condition and had showed signs of improvement after being admitted last Wednesday.

He said: "Any situation where we are not sure of the illness is always a worry."

He said doctors at the hospital were taking precautions to prevent themselves from contracting the suspected illness.

Precautions

The precautions include wearing protective clothing and limiting the number of people in contact with the patient. He said doctors were carrying out tests to eliminate other illnesses.

The hospital staff hoped to confirm whether or not the woman is suffering from SARS later this week.

He said only people who have returned from infected areas with flu-like symptoms such as high temperature, aching muscles and breathing difficulties should contact their GP.

He said: "The evidence from abroad is that the SARS virus is not highly contagious. Although there have been deaths, the number of deaths compared to the number of confirmed cases has been relatively small.

"This is a worrying illness but not one about which we should be worrying here at this stage." The woman has asked for her details not to be made public.

A man who fell ill after returning to the UK from Taiwan is thought to be the UK's fifth suspected case of SARS. Tests are continuing on the man, who is in the east of England.

Alert

The government has issued an alert to all GPs, NHS trusts and public health workers with information about SARS symptoms and advice on management of probable cases.

Experts have not pinpointed the exact cause of SARS although 11 laboratories around the world are trying to find its source and create a diagnostic test.

The UK's latest cases were detected as the worldwide death toll rose and Canada became the worst-affected SARS area outside Asia.

All UK cases were reported following an alert issued by the Health Protection Agency and the Department of Health on March 14.

In a joint statement regarding the latest suspected case they said: "He did not have any symptoms on his flight back to England and there is no need for other passengers to be traced.

"Following admission to hospital, he has been treated in isolation as a precautionary measure and his condition is stable.